Earnhardt Jr., who is NASCAR's most popular driver and one of the 12
competitors in this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, was forced
to miss the last two races -- Charlotte and Kansas -- after being diagnosed
with a concussion days after he was involved in a 25-car accident on the final
lap of the Oct. 7 event at Talladega. He also sustained a concussion during a
crash while participating in the Aug. 29 Goodyear tire test at Kansas, which
had recently been repaved.

Since his diagnosis, Earnhardt Jr. has been evaluated by Dr. Jerry Petty, a
neurosurgeon, in Charlotte. Throughout the process, Petty consulted with Dr.
Micky Collins, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports
Medicine Concussion Program. Earnhardt Jr. was evaluated by Collins on Oct. 16
in Pittsburgh.

On Monday, Earnhardt ran 123 laps in a Sprint Cup Series car during a test
session monitored by Petty at the half-mile Gresham Motorsports Park in
Jefferson, Ga. Petty then cleared him the following morning after a final
neuropsychological evaluation.

"Dale Jr. has done everything asked of him," Petty said in a statement. "He
hasn't had a headache since Oct. 12, and we have not been able to provoke any
symptoms since that time. I have informed NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports that
he is medically cleared for all NASCAR-related activity."

Prior to the start of Sunday's 400-mile race at Kansas, team owner Rick
Hendrick told reporters that Earnhardt Jr. would return to the No. 88 car for
Martinsville. Hendrick, though, later rescinded his pre-race comments that
Earnhardt Jr. had been cleared, noting that he would not receive authorization
until after the test at Gresham.

Regan Smith has substituted for Earnhardt Jr., finishing 38th at Charlotte due
to engine failure and then seventh at Kansas. As a result of missing the last
two races, Earnhardt Jr. is last in the Chase rankings, 122 points behind
leader Brad Keselowski.